suborn

/səˈbɔːn/ (bre, ipa) · /səˈbɔːrn/ (ame, ipa) · /sə-ˈbȯrn How to pronounce suborn (audio)/ (ame, mw)

suborn — verb

  • subornpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • subornshe / she / it
  • subornedpast simple
  • suborning-ing form

1. to secretly persuade a person — most often a witness in court — to lie or commit

1.動詞及物C2
釋義

to secretly persuade a person — most often a witness in court — to lie or commit another illegal act, typically by paying or rewarding them under the table.

例句

A wealthy businessman suborned a witness by paying his rent so she would lie in court.

past tense transitive: suborned + person (direct object)

Vivek asked a neighbour to suborn the robbery witness, but the neighbour refused.

同義詞
  • bribe

    bribe focuses on offering money or gifts to influence someone's actions; it does not always involve illegal acts and is used in everyday contexts too.

  • induce

    induce is a neutral term meaning to persuade someone to do something; it does not carry the legal or criminal overtones of suborn.

  • corrupt

    corrupt is broader, meaning to make someone dishonest or morally bad in general, not necessarily through payment or regarding a specific legal proceeding.

文法句型

suborn + person + to-infinitive

suborn + person

用法筆記

The direct object of suborn is always the person being persuaded (the witness, juror, etc.), not the illegal act itself. For the act, use a phrase like 'suborn someone to commit perjury' or 'suborn someone to lie.' This word is almost entirely restricted to formal legal contexts.

常見錯誤

❌He suborned a lie.
✅He suborned the witness to tell a lie.
💡suborn takes the person as its object, not the illegal act.
❌She suborned a crime.
✅She suborned a man to commit a crime on her behalf.
💡the direct object must be the person acting, not the action.